How is a Hot-Air Balloon Made Safe For a Ride?

By all means, balloons are the most favourite of inventions, be it simple gas balloons or hot-air balloons that are meant for travelling. However, travelling by the latter, though exciting, is both dangerous and risky. There have been several hot-air balloon accidents in the past because both personal and balloon safeties were compromised. Thus, for a safer ride, one needs to take extra care of the safety features provided on the balloon to avoid formidable accidents. What are some safety features on a hot-air balloon?

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Starting from the basket, the hot-air balloon is always provided with a secondary source of ignition. Each of the burners is provided with a tiny pilot-light that burns endlessly. In the event of light failure, the pilot needs to re-light the main burner. Generally, burners are stocked with an alternate piezo lighter, however the pilots are supposed to carry a welding torch flint-sparker. For this reason, passenger balloons are equipped with an alternate source of fuel and burner system, which includes at least two fuel-tanks, having separate hosepipes for each of the burners. An alternate fuel and burner helps in ensuring safe landing during emergencies involving system failure or fuel leakage.

The most dreaded danger for a hot-air balloon is an emergency involving fire. Fire extinguishers are a must on these balloons, especially those capable of extinguishing propane fires. Furthermore, in emergency conditions, hot air balloon also requires a drop line, which is a kind of rope having a length of twenty to thirty metres, affixed to the balloon-basket with a rapid discharge connection at one end. In emergency, the pilot can easily throw the handling line from the balloon, allowing the ground-crew to direct the balloon to a safe landing.

The envelope of the balloon is the most sensitive and vulnerable part. For this reason, envelopes are such designed so as to reduce the stress on the fabric by creating a slightly curved gore. Bifurcated as vertical, horizontal and diagonal, gore are the sectional panels sewn together to craft the envelope of the balloon to help in better and safe flight. Envelope construction engages three kind of stitches: double-lap seam, flat seam or zigzag parallel stitching. The double-lap seam construction involves two rows of parallel stitching along the fabric seam, which is both strong and light and has nearly eight stitches in every inch. Flat seam construction is straight parallel stitching, holding two pieces of fabric together. Zigzag parallel stitching has a double lap of fabric.

When it comes to the material of the fabric, some balloon manufacturers prefer heavy ones to share the load while other prefer lighter ones in order to balance it with additional load tape structures. Two kinds of yarn are mainly used to weave the balloon fabric - nylon and Dacron (a kind of polyester). While nylon is lighter and stronger, Dacron can withstand higher temperatures. The woven fabric is then coated with a sealant to contain the air. The sealant can be polyurethane, with additives such as neoprene or silicone, along with an ultraviolet inhibitor on the exterior to guard the coating from breaking down due to sun. Moreover, the parachute and rip panel in the envelope control the balloon while descending. The former is made of similar fabric as that of the envelope while the latter is sealed by Velcro, with another opening identified as a vent and prepared with fabric similar to that of the envelope. Baskets in the balloon are square-shaped and made by wickerwork, which involves slender flexible branches or twigs (especially of willow or some canes). A net holds ups the basket and dispenses the weight evenly over the balloon.

What are some safety features on a hot-air balloon for those who ride in them? For the safety of the pilots, they are required to wear flame-resistant gloves of leather or some more sophisticated material. The gloves allow them to shut the gas valve if there is leakage in the presence of a flame. The gloves also help to guard against freeze burns caused by the liquid propane. Both pilots and passengers are required to wear outfits made from natural fibres that do not burn when in contact with an open flame. Synthetic fibres pose a risk to the wearer as it melts onto the wearer and can cause severe burning. Hearing protection is also suggested to those who are constantly exposed to burner or inflation fan noise. Even the ground crew is required to take caution by wearing gloves when dealing with ropes or lines which may burn due to pressure or movement. They are also required to wear sturdy shoes and long pants for extra protection.

In short, nothing comes without an asterisk mark while travelling on a hot air balloon. Safety, without any question, should always be given the first preference. Moreover, special briefing regarding the various safety features available on board should be provided to the passengers before taking the flight. This will make the hot-air balloon flying experience not only safe but also more enjoyable.

"Balloon Safety" We Fly Hot Air: http://www.weflyhotair.com/pages/safety.html

"Ballooning Safety" Unicorn Balloon: http://www.unicornballoon.com/safety.html